The Dynasty Warriors series has largely been a linear hack-and-slash experience, but recent entries like Dynasty Warriors 9 experimented with an open world. This raises the question: does Dynasty Warriors: Origins also feature an open world?
Does Dynasty Warriors: Origins Have an Open World?
No, Dynasty Warriors: Origins does not have an open world. The trend in AAA games towards open worlds doesn't always enhance gameplay. Dynasty Warriors 9's open world, for example, was criticized for its emptiness and poorly implemented scale, negatively impacting the series' signature large-scale battles.
Unlike its predecessor, Dynasty Warriors: Origins wisely avoids this pitfall. Instead of a vast, empty open world, it offers a condensed overworld map of ancient China. Players navigate this smaller map to visit towns, purchase items, rest at inns, and interact with NPCs to initiate side quests, discover collectibles (like Pyroxene and Old Coins), engage in optional battles to improve proficiency, recruit soldiers, and trigger story cutscenes. While this overworld is functional, it's intentionally compact, avoiding the issues of its open-world counterpart. Fast travel is available, but the map's small size makes it largely unnecessary.
Dynasty Warriors: Origins is currently available on PS5, PC, and Xbox Series X/S.
